


Don't You Forget About Me

by themrp123



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: 80s rock, Adorable, Dancing, Fangirl Arin, M/M, Music, Pancakes, Rock star Dan, Slow Dancing, greased lightning, what even the fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themrp123/pseuds/themrp123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arin gets dragged to a concert and finds himself head-over-heels in love with the lead singer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Spin Me Round

**Author's Note:**

> I think I might be out of my funk! Yay! Here's this story. I really wanted to write something that wasn't Grumpy Tales - I've hit a roadblock in the latest chapter and I can't seem to find the motivation to write it. So here's a fresh new story! I hope you enjoy it! (FYI, yes, Grumpy Tales is still an ongoing story. I'll write the next chapter... eventually. MWAHAHAHA.)

“‘Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, just like that river drifting through the dusty land, and when she shines she really shows you all she can, oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande…’”

Arin took a sip of his strawberry mocktail, quite bored. He hadn’t wanted to tag along with his friends to see some ‘80s cover band perform at a local club in the first place, but his friends had bribed him with twenty bucks and a free Coke. Now that he was here, sitting alone in an uncomfortable booth, he was regretting his decision. The band was pretty good (he wasn’t the best judge, since he wasn’t paying attention anyway), but all he really wanted to do was go home and draw.

The band finished their cover of ‘Rio’ by Duran Duran, and Arin actually made the effort to glance at the stage. To his horror, the lead singer was staring directly at him. 

“This next song is dedicated to  _ you _ ,” the singer said, pointing at Arin. “The guy who’s just been sitting on his ass the whole show!”

There was laughter from the crowd as they turned to look where the singer (who was admittedly hot) was pointing. Arin froze.  _ Oh God _ .

Slowly, Arin set down his drink and pressed his cold fingers to his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening.

The band launched into a new song. “‘Hey, hey, hey, hey!’” The singer called into the mic, eliciting cheers from the audience.

Simple Minds. ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’. Of course.

“‘ Won't you come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby... Tell me your troubles and doubts, giving me everything inside and out and, love's strange, so real in the dark, think of the tender things that we were working on… Slow change may pull us apart when the light gets into your heart, baby... Don't you forget about me... don't, don't, don't, don't, don't you forget about me…’”

Arin rolled his eyes. Why had he decided to come here? This was the worst night of his life.

By the time the song was over, Arin was sure his face had never been redder in his life… and he’d never been angrier at another human being.

The singer smirked. “Did you like that?” he asked in a deep, suggestive tone, making the crowd laugh. Arin shook his head vehemently. Something about the singer’s voice was giving him a hard-on and it was really frustrating.

“Well, we have one more song and then we’re calling it a night. But thank you all so much for coming out here tonight, we really enjoyed it. Now let’s rock the fuck out of this last song!” The singer ran one skinny, endless arm through his curly mess of brown hair, causing it to stick up at alarming angles.  _ God, he’s hot _ , Arin found himself thinking, but he chased the thought away.

The band started their last song. Arin knew immediately what it was, and it made him roll his eyes for what felt like the twentieth time that night. It was ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’ by Dead Or Alive. 

“‘All I know is that to me, you look like you’re lots of fun…’” The singer pointed another semi-accusing finger at Arin, making the audience hoot and holler (and Arin blush). “‘Open up your loving arms, watch out, here I come…’” The ‘watch out’ was punctuated with two hip thrusts, intensifying Arin’s boner, to his dismay. Why was the scruffy-faced singer allowed to be so attractive when he was so annoying!?

“‘I want your love…’” The lanky lead singer swirled his hips around, eyes shut, completely engrossed in the song. He wasn’t even taunting Arin anymore - he was just enjoying himself. It was beautiful to watch, Arin had to admit. Maybe he  _ wasn’t  _ so annoying. When he got into it, he seemed to slip away from reality. It was like he was alone in his bedroom, rocking out without anyone watching. His whole body became engaged and he forgot about the audience watching him. At least, that’s what Arin thought he saw.

When the song was over, Arin couldn’t help but applaud. They deserved it.

“Thank you very much!” The singer called to the audience. “Have a good night!” 

Arin stayed in his booth until long after everyone else had left the club. He was determined to give the singer some hell.

Finally, the band emerged from backstage, all five of the guys looking tired but happy. The singer looked up, saw Arin, and smiled. He whispered something to the drummer and started towards Arin’s booth, smile still intact.

Arin eyed the singer warily as he approached the table. “May I?” he asked, indicating the seat across from Arin. 

“Go ahead.” Arin finished his mocktail in one gulp, and the singer folded his weedy form into the booth.

_ Damn, he’s even more gorgeous up close _ , Arin thought by accident.

“Hi. I’m Dan. And you are?” The singer - Dan - held out one pale hand for Arin to shake.

“I’m Arin.” He shook it.

“Arin. That’s a cute name. How’d you like the show?”

“Do you want a feel-good speech or the truth?”

Dan laughed a musical, carefree laugh. “That bad, huh?”

Arin chuckled. “Just kidding. You guys were pretty good.”

“Thanks.” Dan smiled a charming smile. “Sorry I picked on you.”

“Eh, it’s alright.” Arin shrugged. 

Dan raised his eyebrows. “You should know, I only pointed you out because I thought you were cute and I wanted you to stop looking so bored. I was kinda hoping I could get you out of this booth and on the floor, ya know?”

Arin didn’t know what to say, so he blushed, of course. “I’m not really the type to be on the floor.” He paused and couldn’t hold back a blurt: “You have a really pretty voice.” Well, shit. Now he wanted to smack himself in the face.

“Thanks, man.” Dan did that thing where he scrubbed a hand through his hair and it stood up like it was loaded full of product. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something...

“Yo! Danny!” the bass player called from the doorway. “We’re all packed up! Get out here!”

"Just a minute, Ross!" Dan looked back at Arin and bit his lip, which Arin found frustratingly sexy. “I’ve gotta go, but it was nice talking to you. Do you think I could have your number?”

Arin’s blush deepened.  _ Say no, say no, say no. _ “Sure. Do you have a pen?”  _ Dammit. _

“No, but you can just put it in my phone.” Dan pulled an iPhone encased in blue plastic out of his back pocket, turned it on, and handed it to Arin.

Arin typed in his number and, deciding to just say ‘fuck it’, named his contact ‘Sexy Widdle Baby <3’, keeping a straight face. He returned the phone.

Dan read the name and cracked up, and something about his laugh made Arin laugh too. 

“Danny, come  _ on _ !” Asshole Bass Player - Ross - yelled from the doorway.

“Talk to you later.” Dan kissed Arin’s forehead so quickly Arin thought he’d imagined it, then dashed over to the door, his gazelle legs carrying him with a considerable amount of speed over the floor.

Arin watched him go, immobilized, his forehead tingling where Dan’s lips had touched it. Holy shit. Dan was so nice and interesting, Arin wanted to talk to him all night! And to think, he hadn’t even wanted to come to the show. Now he was head-over-heels in love with the lead singer. 

“Fuck my life,” Arin muttered to himself as he, too, left the club.

As he fished around in his pocket for his keys, Arin couldn’t help but check his phone to see if Dan had texted him. Nope, nothing.  _ Obviously, you dumbass _ , he chastised himself.  _ Dan wouldn’t text you five minutes after you gave him your number. Just chill. _

But he kept his phone in hand for the entire drive home anyway.


	2. Sussudio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin and Dan hang out for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I started writing this chapter in a momentary attempt to avoid my summer homework. I didn't mean to write more than a few paragraphs, but then I just got so into it that I couldn't stop writing! I start school tomorrow :/ but hopefully I'll have a ton of comments to read once I get home to cheer myself up. I hope you all enjoy chapter 2!

It took Dan exactly ten hours and fifty-five minutes to text Arin. Arin counted even though he didn’t mean to.

_ Wanna hang out today? _ was what the message said.

Arin barely suppressed a squeal and wrote back immediately:  _ Yes!  _

Dan’s response was  _ Cool. Lemme know when and where, I’ll meet you _

_ The Bean at 2? _

_ See you there! _

Arin sighed happily and checked the clock to see how long he needed to wait…

Three hours.  _ Three fucking hours. _

“Okay,” Arin said to himself. “I can do this. I can wait three hours. It’s not like Dan’s the love of my life or anything. We’re just getting coffee. No big deal.”

Except it  _ was _ a big deal. And Arin knew it. 

Now to figure out what to do for three hours.

* * *

By the time one-thirty rolled around, Arin felt like he couldn’t wait anymore. He was going stir-crazy in his apartment, wishing he’d said one instead of two.

Lying in bed, he pulled out his phone to listen to music. He’d had ‘Sussudio’ by Phil Collins stuck in his head for a while, thinking about how it totally applied to his thoughts about Dan, and decided to play it as loud as it could go (which wasn’t very loud, considering phone speakers are small as shit.)

“‘There’s a girl that’s been on my mind, all the time, su-sussudio…’” Arin sung along lazily, the thumping beat seeming to infiltrate his very being. Without even thinking, Arin got up from where he’d been lying and started pulsing one leg to the _ thump thump thump _ ing. That escalated to bouncing one hip, then to step-touching, and then Arin realized what he was doing and froze.

“I don’t dance,” he said aloud, but it was drowned out by Phil Collins’s belting and some catchy synth. 

_ Well, fuck it _ , Arin thought.  _ Nobody’s watching me. _

So he freed himself from his I-don’t-dance mindset and danced his heart out.

Arin leaped and spun and pulsed and did every dance move he could think of, some having no name at all. The music flowed through his body and became a part of him. Every movement felt natural, like he didn’t even have to think about what he was doing. It just happened. 

The song faded out, unfortunately, so there was no striking a pose at the end. Arin collapsed on his bed, breathing hard. 

“Holy shit,” he said aloud. He’d never danced like that before - he had no idea he even could.  “Why not try it again?” he suggested to himself.

Arin put on ‘Rio’, remembering that it was one of the songs Dan had sung last night at the concert. The thought of Dan made him smile, and he hit play.

Immediately the song’s fast beat struck a chord in Arin’s soul, and he started dancing again just as easily as before, slipping into some kind of other world where there was only the music and an endless amount of dance moves. Arin lost himself in the sound, his eyes fluttering shut as he danced.

At the end of the song, Arin knew he probably looked like a sweaty mess, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t help but laugh. Dancing was so  _ fun _ ! Exhausting, but fun.

When Arin looked at the clock, it said one-forty-five. Time to go at long last!

Noticing how sweaty he actually was (way sweatier than sweaty), Arin switched t-shirts, swiping some deodorant on in between, and quickly washed his face. He grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys and bolted for the door, barely able to contain his excitement.

This was so weird. Arin had never been this excited to meet someone before…. Maybe because Dan wasn’t just someone. He was  _ the _ one. Possibly.

* * *

 

Dan wasn’t hard to spot. The minute Arin stepped inside the heavily air-conditioned yet comfortable coffee shop, he caught sight of a mop of frizzy brown curls and smiled. Dan was sitting in the best table in the whole shop, a small one that was tucked away in the corner right under a painting of a seemingly endless meadow with a chestnut horse grazing on its lush emerald grass. Dan was scrolling on his phone, tapping his finger on the table to the lazy beat of the music playing softly over the shop’s speakers.

“This seat taken?” Arin asked Dan with a playful grin.

Dan looked up and laughed. “Nope. Go ahead.”

Arin took the seat across from Dan, who was sliding his phone into his pocket.

“So how are you? Your face is a little red. You feeling okay?” Dan looked concerned.

Arin couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m fine. I was so bored that I started dancing like a fuckin’ maniac.”

“Dude!” Dan laughed too, that warm, infectious laugh that Arin wanted to record and listen to daily. “That’s so awesome that you can dance!”

Arin blushed. “I don’t even know if I really can. Today was the first time I’ve ever felt it, y’know?”

Dan nodded, clearly listening intensely. Arin wrote  _ Good listener _ on his mental list of reasons to like Dan, which already took up an entire mental page.

“I don’t know if I’m good or not, but I sorta just let myself get lost in the music and have fun, so that’s cool I guess.” Arin shrugged.

“I’m sure you’re good if you can lose yourself so easily,” Dan said. He smiled. “I’m not an amazing dancer, but I’d really like to dance with you sometime.”

Arin’s blush went from watermelon to tomato. Was Dan asking him out? Arin smiled when he realized he’d like that. He’d like that a lot.

“What about you? What have you been doing all day?” Arin asked Dan.

“Nothing too interesting. Voice lesson, a few dumb little errands. Boring stuff.” Dan pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “What do you want to order? I’ll pay.”

“No way, Dan. You don’t have to pay for me!”

“Shh.” Dan pressed a long, slender finger to Arin’s lips and smiled. “Just let me buy you something.”

“O-Okay.” Arin didn’t want to think about how hard that had just made him. Crazy how just Dan’s finger could drive him so, well,  _ crazy _ . He tried his best not to stumble over his words when he told Dan his order - just an iced coffee and a chocolate chip muffin - and mostly succeeded.

“Cool.” Dan smiled and went to go order.

Arin couldn’t be happier. This felt right. He and Dan, chatting and spending time together. Arin felt a connection - he was just wondering if Dan did too.

Dan returned to the table, balancing a tray of drinks on one hand and a plate with two muffins on it on the other. 

“Let me help you with that.” Arin chuckled as he leaped up and grabbed the drink tray, setting it gently down on the table.

“Thanks.” Dan put the remaining plate down and took his seat.

Arin handed him his drink - hot green tea - and took a sip of his own.

“So what did you learn at your voice lesson?” Arin asked Dan, taking a bite of his muffin.

Dan laughed to himself. “I learned that I can’t sing Broadway show tunes no matter how hard I try.”

“And why were you singing show tunes?” Arin was giggling.

“My voice teacher is actually insane,” Dan said, a little too seriously to be joking. “He wanted me to try out a new genre and see if I liked it. But I think I’m just so used to 70s, 80s and 90s rock that I can’t do anything else.”

“Eh, I could see you as Seymour in  _ Little Shop of Horrors _ .” Arin shrugged and took another bite of muffin.

Dan laughed. “‘For all my life I’ve always been poor, I keep asking God what I’m for, and he tells me gee I’m not sure, sweep that floor kid…,’” he sang quietly.

Arin laughed too. “See? Told you.”

“Nonsense. That was horrible." Dan did that maddening thing where he scrubbed a hand through his hair and it stuck up in weird peaks. 

"Not really." Arin had thought it was good, but maybe he was biased.

"Well, thanks. My teacher made me sing all of Seymour’s parts in ‘Skid Row’. It was pretty great, but my favorite was trying to sing ‘Greased Lightning’ without sounding like an idiot.”

Arin was laughing harder and harder. “‘Greased Lightning’!?”

“‘Greased Lightning’,” Dan confirmed with his own laughter. “And ‘Beauty School Dropout’.”

More laughter. It was so easy for them to make each other laugh. Dan could probably look Arin in the eyes and say “Potato” and Arin would laugh until he cried.

“Anyway, let’s get into the heavy stuff.” Dan sipped his tea. “You already know I sing for a living. What do you do?”

“I draw and animate for people, and I also teach kids to draw in private lessons. New topic, please.”

Dan laughed. “Okay. Ask me anything.”

“Do you have any weird fetishes?” Arin accidentally blurted.

Luckily, Dan laughed. “I’m weirdly into voices and crossdressers.”

“Interesting.” Arin nodded casually and took a sip of coffee as if they were having a pleasant, normal conversation. This made Dan laugh.

“What about you?”

Arin managed to refrain from blushing. “I like being called ‘princess’.”

Arin expected Dan to laugh. Instead, Dan leaned across the table and smirked seductively, running his knuckles down Arin’s face. “You’re so beautiful, princess.”

“Welp, I’m hard now,” Arin said matter-of-factly (and mentally cheered himself on.  _ Nice job, Arin! You didn’t even blush! _ ) and grinned when Dan laughed.

They relaxed into a conversation (not about kinks this time), and Arin relaxed more and more every minute. Dan was so easy to talk to, so interesting and funny. Arin liked him more than he had before - if that was even possible.

They talked for so long that it was a shock when Dan looked at his watch and saw that it was now five and they’d been sitting in a coffee shop for three hours, their drinks and muffins long gone.

“Well, shit.” Dan laughed and showed the time to Arin, making him laugh as well.

“We should go.” But he didn’t want to. He wanted to sit here and talk to Dan all fucking week.

“We should. I don’t have to be home yet - want to take a walk? Go to the park or something and then come back for our cars?”

“That sounds good.” Arin smiled.

* * *

 

“WOO! I LOVE BEING A BAD EXAMPLE FOR CHILDREN!” Dan cheered as he leaped off of a swing, flying through the air for a moment before crashing down in a heap in the grass.

Arin laughed at him and jumped off his own swing, landing ungracefully next to him on the ground. Dan ripped up a handful of grass and threw it at Arin, starting a grass fight that made them both laugh until their stomachs hurt.

This was perfect. Arin and Dan, dicking around and having fun like they were kids again. The sun had already set by now, washing the grassy park with shadows. The sky had deepened into a delicate lavender-gray and was darkening quickly as night chased the evening away.

When Dan won the grass fight, the two grown men found themselves lying side-by-side in the cool grass, their eyes locked, smiling peacefully and never wanting to get up.

Dan reached out and tucked a strand of Arin’s hair that had strayed from his ponytail behind his ear. And smiled.

“I had a lot of fun today, Arin. I like you a lot.”

“I like you too. I expected you to be a total asshole because of last night, but you’re really a nice guy.”

Dan laughed softly. “I’m glad you don’t think I’m an asshole.”

“Do you have to leave?” Arin asked sadly. “You sounded like you were saying goodbye.”

“No, I was just stating my feelings. Want to get dinner? There’s a cool fifties-themed diner down the road that we can go to.” Dan pushed himself up, getting to his feet more or less gracefully, and held out a hand to help Arin up.

“Do you even have to ask?” 

The two giggled as they left the playground.

“Look! A lightning bug!” Dan got distracted and reached for a lightning bug that was blinking in the darkening air nearby. The beetle fluttered away, inches from Dan’s fingers. Determined, Dan followed it a few steps until he caught it gently in two cupped hands.

Grinning like a little kid catching their first fish, Dan returned to Arin’s side and showed him the little bug who was sitting docilely on Dan’s palms, shining its light for no particular reason.

“Let’s call him Bitchface McGee,” Arin said with a smile.

Dan laughed. “I like it.” He admired the firefly for a moment, and then released it, watching it as it flew away. “Bye, Bitchface McGee!” He waved cheerfully.

“You were a good man,” Arin called to the bug, saluting it.

Dan and Arin laughed and continued on their way, out of the shadowy park and into the streetlamp-lit downtown.

* * *

 

“I’d recommend either pancakes or a grilled chicken panini, depending on what mood you’re in,” Dan advised.

Arin and Dan were seated in a cozy booth in the suggested fifties-themed diner, trying to figure out what to order. There was some Elvis playing in the background, possibly coming from the ancient-looking jukebox next to the door but probably not.

Arin looked around. “This place is cute. It looks like something straight out of  _ Grease _ .”

“Doesn’t it?” Dan smiled. “I love that about this place. It kinda feels like you stepped back in time, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. It’s cool.” Arin set down his menu. “If you had a time machine, would you go to the future or the past?”

“Obviously the past! I’d love to check out the fifties - or maybe the sixteenth century. You?”

“I’d go to the past as well. I think I’d go to the seventies.” Arin took a sip of water. “I heard it was the shit.”

This made Dan laugh. But he abruptly stopped when the song changed from Elvis to -

“‘Greased Lightning’!” Dan and Arin said in unison, cracking up.

Arin, with no idea what he was doing, slid out of their booth and immediately started dancing. He didn’t even mean to - he just did it. 

Dan, laughing, got up as well and started dancing next to Arin. Thankfully, there were only three other small groups of people there to stare disdainfully at the dancing fools.

“‘Greased Lightning, go, Greased Lightning!’” Arin sang, pumping a fist into the air and out to the side to the beat, just like in the movie.

The music traveled through Arin’s body again, moving it for him. Arin stopped thinking, even stopped laughing. He got lost in that world again, dancing like nobody was watching.

He must’ve been pretty damn good, because when the song ended, everyone in the room burst into applause.

“Arin!” Dan threw his arms around him, laughing. “That was amazing! You’re so good!”

“Thanks!” Arin laughed, hugging Dan back.

By the time they sat back down, they both had tears in their eyes from laughing.

“Seriously, that was awesome. You really should consider dancing professionally,” Dan said seriously.

“Oh no, I -” Arin fell silent when his eyes found a stern-faced waiter coming towards their table.

“Sir,” the waiter said when he arrived. He dropped the serious face and grinned. “That was rad, man. You’re a machine!”

Arin laughed. “Thank you! I thought you were gonna kick me out or something.”

“No way.” The waiter pulled a notepad out of his pocket. “You guys know what you want to order?”

“Yeah.” Dan cleared his throat quickly. “I’ll have a grilled chicken panini, please.”

“And I’ll have a short stack of pancakes,” Arin said.

“Anything else?” The waiter grinned.

Dan leaned towards the waiter. “Two root beer floats, please.”

“Awesome. I’ll have that right out for you guys.” He dipped his head and hustled away.

Dan and Arin grinned at each other. 

“I can see the gears turning. You have an idea,” Arin said, placing his hand on top of Dan’s without meaning to.

“I was just thinking… do you think you might want to dance at a few of our shows? My band has a concert coming up and I think it would be so rad if you could dance to a few songs on stage. It’d give the audience something to look at, y’know?”

“I really don’t think I can dance on stage.” Arin ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “I’m not on that level yet.”

“You’d have six days to get ready,” Dan said. His eyes were sparkling kindly. “You’d be amazing, princess.”

Arin blushed as usual. Damn. He wasn’t sure about this, but Dan really seemed to want him to do it-

“Okay,” Arin said. “I will.”

“YES!” Dan pumped his fist and grinned. “Thanks so much, Ar!”

The anxiety melted away and Arin smiled. “Any time. So, what songs would it be?”

“Well, all we do is 80s covers, so probably…” Dan tapped his own chin, thinking. “Probably, like, ‘Sussudio’, ‘Don’t Lose My Number’, and ‘Take On Me’.”

Arin nodded. “Cool. I love all of those songs.” He chuckled to himself. “‘Sussudio’ was the first song I danced to today.”

Dan grinned. “That’s awesome. I love ‘Sussudio’.” He turned his hand on the table so that he was holding Arin’s. He squeezed it. “You’ll be great, baby.”

“Did you just call me ‘baby’?”

“I did. Do you hate being called that or something?”

“No, it… it was nice.” Arin bent his head to sip his water so he didn’t have to look at Dan when he said that.

Dan squeezed Arin’s hand again.

* * *

 

“I know I should totally be going home right now,” Dan said once they were back outside The Bean, leaning against the hood of Arin’s car in the coffee shop’s parking lot. “But I don’t want to leave you! I just love hanging out with you so much.”

“So don’t leave me! You can come over for a while if you want.” It dawned on Arin that he and Dan had been holding hands for a while. Too long for just friends.

“I’d like that.” When Arin looked at Dan, the singer was grinning his charming grin.

“Grab your car and follow me to my building.” Arin let go of Dan’s hand so he could pull his keys out of his pocket. 

“Okay!” 

With smiles at each other, they parted ways… for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! I hope you liked that chapter. I'm so sorry for the troll-y cliffhanger ending (MWAHAHAHA) but I promise I'll update soon! I love you all so much, thanks for reading!


	3. I Want To Know What Love Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan hangs out at Arin's house, and they probably slow dance a little. Okay, yeah, they slow dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating. I've had school for the past few days. Today was rough. I go to a magnet school for creative writing, and today, I had one of my pieces of flash fiction writing totally torn apart (figuratively) by my classmates. I mean, I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was THAT bad. There were SO many critiques, it was a little hard to take. EVERYONE said something negative about my damn piece. I feel a lot more at ease writing fan fiction, honestly. I prefer fanfics to flash fiction, definitely. Anyway, sorry for rambling. I know that was super not interesting. Here's chapter 3. Enjoy!

“So this is my apartment. I hope you like it.” 

Dan smiled, looking around Arin’s apartment with admiration. “It’s cute. I like it a lot!” 

Arin’s apartment was simple but cheerful, with neutral furniture and bright blue walls, pink carpeting and subdued art hanging in neon frames. “Thanks,” Arin said, tossing his keys onto the tiny yellow-painted table near the door and kicking off his shoes. 

Dan bent to untie his sneakers, and Arin tried his best not to stare at his ass, accentuated by his tight jeans. When Dan straightened to haul his ebony leather jacket off, Arin quickly looked away.

“Do you want to play some video games or something?” Arin asked Dan, peeking shyly at him.

“Sure.” Dammit, he was grinning that stupid grin that made him look like a fucking sun god.

“You can pick.” Arin gestured to the glass bookcase against the wall that housed his game collection, then collapsed in a reclined position on the sand-colored couch in front of the TV.

Dan combed the shelves, and, with a satisfied smile, pulled  _ Kirby’s Dream Course _ from the selection. “This one!”

“Dammit!” Arin laughed. “I suck at that one!”

“Awesome! That means I’ll win!” Dan shot Arin an unconcerned, childish smile.

Arin took the game box from Dan, setting it up while Dan got himself comfortable on the cozy couch cushions. 

As the game started, Arin returned to his seat, and his arm brushed against Dan’s. Their eyes met for a second.

“Ready to lose, you loser?” Dan ruined the moment with a playful grin.

“Are  _ you _ ?” Arin countered weakly, wishing he could stare into Dan’s beautiful brown eyes for at least another hour.

They played the adorable, colorful game for who knows how long (Dan, true to his word, was frustratingly good at it), having the time of their lives. As they played, they joked around, laughed and chattered about nothing. By the end of their play session, they already had some new inside jokes and had written a song entitled ‘The Ballad of Bitchface McGee’. 

Arin shut off the game once they had gotten sick of it. When he turned to sit back on the couch, Dan was sprawled on his back, taking up the entire couch with his unsurmountable limbs. Damn, Arin wanted to straddle his hips and kiss him senseless, or at least just lay and cuddle with him. Anything to feel those arms around his waist.

“Huh. Where’s Dan? All I see is a couch,” Arin joked, scratching his head and observing Dan’s body spread before him like a tantalizing feast that he just couldn’t eat.

Dan laughed. “Arin, seriously.”

“I guess this couch won’t mind if I sit on it…” Arin, grinning wickedly, made to sit down on Dan’s stomach, ignoring Dan’s giggly pleas for him to stop.

Just before Arin actually sat on Dan, the singer kneed him in the butt. “Oh!” Arin shot up, looking down at Dan with mock surprise. “There’s a Dan on my couch!”

Dan threw a pink throw pillow at Arin and laughed. “Uh, yeah, you dick.” He kicked his Pocky-stick legs out, pushing himself into an upright position. He looked up at Arin through wayward curls that had flopped into his eyes. “I want to see you dance some more,” he said, his tone more serious.

Arin blushed. “Um, okay… you can pick a song.” He pulled his hair into a ponytail.

Dan slipped his own phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his iTunes. “I’m thinking I’ll have you dance to some of the songs that my band and I cover, just so I see how you look. Probably gorgeous, but… ya know. The guys would want me to make sure you’re damn good.” 

“O-Okay.” Arin was stunned. ‘Gorgeous’!? “Go for it.”

Dan hit play on something, and Arin immediately recognized it - ‘Working For The Weekend’, by Loverboy. Easy.

Arin shut his eyes and let himself drift away to the now-familiar world of dance, the song’s beat replacing his blood as he moved. He forgot about Dan, forgot that this was technically a test. Everything was the joyful, fast music and the way Arin allowed his body to move to said music. It felt beautiful, and it was beautiful to watch.

When the song ended, Dan clapped, and Arin gasped for breath, fatigued. 

“Dude.” When Arin looked at Dan, the handsome fucker was grinning excitedly. “You are AMAZING. I think you’d totally kill it on stage.”

“Thanks.” Arin beamed. Something about Dan’s praise made him feel prouder than he’d ever been. Another song started - ‘Jessie’s Girl’ by Rick Springfield - and Arin danced to that one just as well, earning more amazed praise from Dan.

The third song - Bryan Adams’s ‘Summer of ‘69’ - felt like the right time for Arin to ask: “Now you dance with me!”

“Oh no, I don’t-”

Arin grabbed Dan’s hands and yanked him up off the couch. “DANCE, MONKEY, DANCE!”

Dan laughed and moved his hips and shoulders exaggeratedly, not really dancing.

“C’mon man.” Arin was smiling at how ridiculous Dan looked. He gave him a light smack on the arm. “Dance for real!” 

“Alright, fine.” Dan relaxed into the music, actually dancing, seeming to start having genuine fun.

Arin and Dan danced to the summery jam, laughing and smiling at each other. They let go of any self-consciousness, any doubts, and went hard, dancing for each other, dancing for themselves. It was the most fun either of them had had since… well, since their adventures on the playground, to be honest.

At the song’s end, Dan was laughing so hard he had to lean on Arin for support (even though Arin was laughing just as hard, and therefore was just as unsteady).

The next song began with an infectious beat. ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ - Michael Jackson. Arin took a quick seat on the couch. “Dance for me,” he ordered.

“Um, okay.” Dan’s face flushed bright pink. He closed his eyes, letting his hips sway to the beat in a way that was so effortlessly sexy that it almost hurt to look at.

Dan kept dancing, gradually getting more and more into it as the song progressed. When it hit the chorus, though, his eyes snapped open and he saw Arin watching him. Dan froze. “I’m not supposed to dance; _ you’re _ the dancer here, not me. I suck.” Dan let his hair topple into his eyes.

“What? No way! Dan, that was great!” Arin hit pause on the music and leapt up to give Dan a comforting hug. “You dance like a sex magnet.”

“I have no idea what that means, but I think it was a compliment.” Dan chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Arin’s waist. “Thanks. But I think I’d prefer if you did all the dancing.”

“Aw, come on. Dance to one more song with me?” Arin pleaded, giving Dan puppy eyes.

“Fiiiiine.” Dan pretended to be irritated, but his smile gave him away. 

Dan picked up his phone and skipped to the next song on the playlist, which just happened to be ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ by Foreigner.

Arin blushed.  _ Oh no. Dan is totally gonna change the song, right? There was no way we’re going to dance to -  _

Dan, with a hint of an abashed smile on his face, offered Arin a hand. Arin took it.  _ Shit. _

Dan set his other hand on the small of Arin’s back, pulling him close. Arin laid his free hand on Dan’s shoulder, and the two started to sway back and forth to the gentle beat of the slow song. And, since they were the same height, it was almost impossible not to stare into each other’s eyes.

Instead of feeling like he was back at an awkward middle school dance, Arin felt more like he was in the heavenly arms of an angel. A kind, funny, talented, intriguing, sexy angel that made him happy.

Dan let his head fall closer to Arin’s so their faces were inches apart. “Strange how I just met you yesterday, and I already like you so much,” he murmured.

Arin searched for any trace of falseness in Dan’s eyes and found none. “Yeah,” he responded. “I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Dan smiled, bringing Arin even closer to him. Arin couldn’t help himself - he rested his head on Dan’s shoulder. And smiled.

The song faded out, but Arin and Dan stayed like that - arms around each other, heads on each other’s shoulders - for a while longer, just standing still, appreciating each other’s presence. Arin felt Dan’s face turning, pressing into the crook of his neck. Arin inhaled the fresh, clean scent of Dan’s hair and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“Do you want to hang out more tomorrow?” Dan asked Arin in a soft whisper.

“Sure,” Arin immediately responded. He had nothing to do tomorrow, and he  _ needed _ to see Dan again as soon as possible. 

“Awesome,” Dan mumbled, yawning into Arin’s neck. His breath tickled, and Arin chuckled a little.

“Are you tired?” Arin asked, daring to run his fingers through Dan’s hair once. It felt like petting a curly dog.

“Yeah. Can I just fall asleep right here?” Arin could feel the motion of Dan’s lips on his skin.

“I’m not holding your ass up all night,” Arin told Dan. 

Dan laughed and took a step back, letting go of Arin. He yawned again. “I’d better head out. The band and I are having a meeting tomorrow. I’ll text you when it’s over so we can get together?”

“Sure.” Arin went to get Dan’s jacket for him.

Dan giggled as Arin helped him into his jacket. “Why thank you, dear butler,” he joked. 

Arin followed Dan to the door. “Want me to walk you out?”

“Sure. That’d be nice.” Dan didn’t question it when Arin grasped his hand.

* * *

 

“Thank you so much for having me over,” Dan said, his hand hovering over the door handle on the driver’s side. He didn’t want to leave Arin.

“It was my pleasure,” Arin replied. 

There were a few beats of silence, then Dan sighed. “Welp, I’ll see you tomorrow, baby.”

Arin grinned. “Tomorrow.”

They smiled at each other, and Dan gave Arin a hug. 

Dan stepped into his car and pulled the door shut, blowing Arin a kiss as he stuck his key in the ignition. Arin held up a hand and pretended to catch the kiss, winking at Dan, who grinned in response.

Arin turned away as the car revved to life.

* * *

 

“God dammit,” Arin grumbled aloud as he flopped into bed later that night. He’d been scolding himself since Dan had left, wondering why he hadn’t even offered to let Dan stay the night. He was already beginning to miss his angel.

Arin reached for his phone on the bedside table, not expecting there to be a text on it. But there was. From Dan.

_ I had so much fun with you today, princess. Can’t wait for tomorrow! <3 P.S., Don’t you forget about me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! I hope that chapter wasn't boring as shit. I love you all very very much! Have a nice day! :)


	4. Lost In Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Dan and Arin, feeling feelings for each other as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God I'm so sorry for not posting shit all week. My high school just started this week for some reason and I've been in such a panicked rush all week. Also, I go to magnet school for creative writing, so I have additional work (at least it's all writing, which is cool) to do. Long story short, I'm super busy all the time now. BUT! 6969! You guys, 6969!!! We have to talk about it!! Holy shit, wasn't the video amazing?? I watched it on the bus to magnet school and had to hold back my squees because I loved it so much. Anyway, here's chapter four! Enjoy!

“Hey, Brian?”

“What’s up?”

“Have you ever fallen totally in love with someone in a short amount of time? Like, you’d actually straight-up die for them even though you met three days ago and haven’t even kissed yet?”

“Danny, is this about that guy you’ve been hanging out with for, like, two days? The dance guy? Arin?”

“Yeah. Bri, I love him. He makes me feel just so happy and we can be ourselves together, and he can make me laugh so easily. I just…” Dan sighed. “He’s so beautiful.”

“Dude, I know you love him. You haven’t stopped talking about him, and all you want to sing lately is sappy love songs.”

“Pssh, not true.”

“You said Arin’s name exactly forty times during our meeting today, and you literally suggested we try to learn ‘Lost In Your Eyes’.”

Dan laughed despite himself and loosened his grip on his cell phone. “I just want to know if it’s weird that I’m already so in love even though we just met.”

“I don’t think so. Arin seems like a special guy.”

Dan smiled, thinking of Arin. “He is. He’s my special guy.”

“What even did you guys do after the meeting yesterday?”

“I invited him to my place and we had Pepsis and binged the second season of  _ Game of Thrones _ . He held my fucking hand, Brian! And after that I sang for him and he danced for me, and then we just sat and talked for a super long time, and then we played  _ Street Fighter _ , and then Arin had to go home and sleep but he promised me we could hang out Thursday.”

“That sounds great, but you need to watch your run-on sentences.”

“You’re not my dad! You can’t tell me what to do!”

“I am four years older than you, meaning I am allowed to boss you around.”

“But I’m the lead singer, which gives me the right to boss without being bossed.”

“Well played.”

* * *

 

It took Dan at least an hour to find the motivation to stop lying in bed. When he did get up, he immediately lay back down for another fifteen minutes, groaning loud enough for the world to hear. He wouldn’t be seeing Arin today, therefore there was no reason to get up.

But Dan did get up. He eventually managed to stand and throw on some relatively clean clothes. He examined his reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of his bedroom door and winced. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he wasn’t sure why. 

Dan shook his head, combing his fingers briefly through his mess of curls. Maybe he’d go to The Bean - it was ten AM now (he’d called Brian, the band’s keyboard player, at eight thirty that morning to rave about Arin), a good time for breakfast.

Because it was late Tuesday morning, Dan’s apartment building was empty but for the few unemployed druggies who always seemed to be lurking in the stairwells. Dan would always say hey to them - sometimes they’d offer him marijuana, but usually they just nodded lazily back.

Dan took his time wandering the deserted halls - he just wasn’t in the mood to hurry today. He almost felt like he was slogging through a swamp. When he finally made it to the ground floor and eventually the dusty light of day outside, he realized suddenly that he’d forgotten his keys, and cursed loudly enough that a Rottweiler being walked nearby started yowling. 

Grumbling to himself, Dan gave up on driving and made haste to the coffee shop on foot. Jeez, all this unwanted exercise just for a muffin and a cup of coffee! And, okay, maybe to sit at the tucked-away table in the back and pretend Arin was there with him.

The tiny silver bell above the door tinkled as Dan pushed it open, causing the baristas to raise their heads. The three dejected-looking teenagers were the only other people in the shop.

Dan ordered his muffin and coffee, avoiding eye contact with the girl at the register. He handed her the amount she asked for in exact change and hustled away to the table he’d come to think of as his and Arin’s table, even though they'd only sat there once. Dan wondered briefly how people would react if he put a RESERVED sign on the table. Would the workers just think their boss did it or something? 

With a smile, Dan took a seat and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Dammit, why did he already miss Arin so much? They’d literally been apart for ten hours, seven of which Dan had spent sleeping. Yes, it was ridiculous, but Dan knew why he wanted Arin with him right now. He loved him.

Dan reread the text conversation he’d had with Arin last night after he left and grinned. Arin had said  _ So when we meet up on Thursday you want me to bring a tutu and some ballet shoes, right? _

Dan’s response:  _ Exactly. That’s exactly what I want. _

Arin:  _ Okay. Good. Count on that _

_ I don’t doubt it for a second _

_ You text like Mark Twain _

_ Why thank you, my darling. I spent long hours writing that Tom Sawyer... _

_ Are you a closeted lover of literature? _

_ Closeted? Since when? _

_ Ok maybe I need to work on my word choice _

_ You text like Stephanie Meyer _

_ Fuck you _

_ Please do _

_ Gladly ;) Thursday? _

_ Thursday. Bring sexy lingerie. _

_ Will do _

That last text had made Dan laugh until he fell asleep, and he wasn’t even sure why. Now, he struggled not to burst out laughing in the middle of an empty coffee shop. The baristas would think he was crazy, if they didn’t already.

“Sir?”

Dan looked up, startled, and saw one of the baristas - a straggly-haired, bespectacled boy who’s thin face was rife with acne - handing him his order. 

“Oh, thanks, man.” Dan flashed the tired-looking boy a smile. His drooping shoulders seemed to lift a little, and something in his face softened.

“You’re welcome,” the boy responded. He squinted at Dan, seeming to focus intently on his features. “Are you, by any chance, the singer for that 80s band who played at the D Club a few days ago?”

“Actually yeah.” Dan grinned.

“No way, man! That’s so sick.” Suddenly the bedraggled teen was a new man - giddy and all smiles. “I loved that show. You guys are so talented.”

“Thanks, man! What’s your name?”

“I’m Kyle.” The boy offered Dan a hand, which he shook.

“Nice to meet ya, Kyle. I’m Dan.” 

“When’s your next show? If it’s close by, I’m so there! I’ll even bring my boyfriend!” Kyle was looking at his hand with the classic ‘I’ll never wash this hand again’ expression on his face. 

“Actually, we’re playing on Saturday night at 8 at Jammin’ Gin, you know, that weird club in the next town over?”

“Yeah, I’ve been there.” Kyle smiled. He must have been older than he looked. “Jett - my boyfriend - and I will totally be at that show.”

Dan smiled. “Cool. See you there, man. It’s gonna be a really special one.”

Kyle saluted quirkily and hurried over to the abandoned register to take the order of a pair of leather-clad teens who were probably cutting class.

Dan sipped his coffee, remembering in full color his little date here with Arin. He had a feeling he’d think about it every time he walked into The Bean. That date was when he first started to think that maybe their relationship was more than ‘you’re cute, let’s fuck once and then never see each other again’. It was starting to become ‘I want to live the rest of my life with you in it’.

* * *

Arin wandered aimlessly through the grocery store, humming ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and feeling like he forgot something but not knowing what that something was. Maybe it was Dan. Damn, he missed Dan.

Arin checked his list again, scrawled in semi-legible handwriting on a pink sheet of lined paper (he’d found a pink legal pad at Staples a few weeks ago, squealed and purchased it immediately), and tried to figure out what he didn’t have in his cart. 

_ Bump _ . Arin’s cart hit something that yelped.

“Watch where you’re going!” The woman snapped. She didn’t appear injured, just angry. She was kinda cute, with long black hair and a shirt with cats on it.

“I’m so sorry, I totally spaced. Are you okay?” Guilt filled Arin’s chest. Now he felt like shit.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The woman had calmed down, but there was still a slight edge to her high-pitched voice.

“I really am sorry.” Arin felt like hanging his head in shame.

“It’s alright.” The woman held out a hand. “I’m Suzy.”

“Arin.” Arin shook her hand, grateful that she had forgiven him. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Suzy smiled. She was so much prettier when she smiled. If Arin was into girls, he’d totally ask her out. “I guess I’ll see you around?”

“See you.” Arin smiled at her and they parted ways on good terms.

* * *

 

Arin was out of his apartment again the second he finished putting away his groceries, on his way to the town’s only dance studio. Last night, after texting Dan, he’d decided to sign up for dance lessons, and his first one was today. Nerves danced a wild jitterbug in his chest. What if Dan was just being nice when he said Arin was good? What if the waiter who'd complimented him was used to seeing old people dance and didn’t know what good dancing was? What if the instructor told him to think while he danced?

To calm himself, Arin plugged his phone into the car's aux cord and hit play on his 80s Rock playlist (courtesy of Dan). The first song was - you guessed it - ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’. Of course.

“I can’t forget about you, Dan,” Arin realized he’d said aloud. “No way.”

Arin wasn’t afraid to admit to himself that he’d fallen deeply in love with Dan despite their short amount of time knowing each other. There was something so magnetic about Dan, making Arin feel like he could never be away from him for more than a day.

‘She Blinded Me With Science’ started blasting throughout Arin’s car, and he sung along, wishing Dan was there to sing with him.

* * *

 

Arin stood outside the dance studio’s sleek glass entrance, trying to calm his breathing. 

_ What are you standing here for? Go in! _ his thoughts pushed him. But he was so nervous. He’d never had a dance lesson in his life!

Arin envisioned Dan standing with him, squeezing his hand. ‘You’ll be great, princess,’ imaginary Dan said, smiling encouragingly at Arin. ‘Go get ‘em.’

With one last deep breath, Arin pushed open the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! I'm going to try to upload chapters more frequently now that I'm settling into my homework schedule. I love you all very very much, have a good night/day/week!


	5. The Way You Make Me Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit dude, it's showtime!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm super sorry for taking literal WEEKS to write ANYTHING. School is bullshit and really fucking difficult. But enough about school. I WENT TO GAME GRUMPS LIVE. And wanna know what happened. THEY KISSED. THEY FUCKING KISSED. It was for like a half a second but I know I saw their lips touch before they hugged (close to the end of the show). It was on stage and on the big screen, so I definitely saw it. That is MAJOR. Anyway, I love all of you! Enjoy this chapter!!!

“You’re doing it wrong!” Maxine hit pause on ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’. “You point  _ in _ first,  _ then _ out! And you move your ribcage at that one part, not your hips.”

Arin sighed. “Sorry Max.”

Maxine laughed, shaking her head. “When’s the show?”

“Tomorrow.” Saying that made Arin feel like he was going to puke.

“Do it again.” Maxine flicked her blond hair out of her face and started the song over.

Arin had been taking a dance lesson each day before the concert, and now it was Friday, and the show was tomorrow. Maxine, his teacher, had been working hard with him, assuring him that yes, he had natural talent, but he just needed to refine his talents a bit - rein them in. ‘You’re good,’ she’d told him, ‘but I’ll help you become great.’

Arin swallowed, redoing his ponytail and setting up to do the dance again. He thought of Dan, smiled, and started the routine Maxine had taught him that day. This time, he was perfect. Trapped within a specific set of movements, yes, but at least he did them perfectly.

* * *

 

“Dammit Dan, that’s not the note we agreed on!”

“But I feel more comfortable hitting the low one than the high one!”

“Who cares!? We already agreed on the high one!”

It was late Friday night, and the band (Babies of the '80s) had been rehearsing for tomorrow’s concert all day. Ross and Dan were arguing, Brian was silently staring at his keyboard looking like he was about to collapse, Barry (the guitarist) was watching Ross and Dan with big sad eyes, and the bassist - Chris (the guys called him ‘Oney’) - was scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the filthy snot-green rug covering the floor of Ross’s basement-turned-studio. 

Dan sighed. “Fine. I’ll sing the high one. Let’s take it from the top.”

Ross just sighed and Barry looked relieved. Oney stopped kicking the carpet and Brian listlessly pressed a single key. The minor note rang out, echoing through the basement like a sad howl.

Dan breathed deeply, his lips almost touching the microphone, and thought for a moment of Arin. He smiled and waited for Ross to count off.

“‘ Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick and think of you ...’”

* * *

 

The night of the show appeared in a snap of time. Arin had been introduced to the band and was now hanging out in their dressing room, feeling a swirl of emotions threatening to knock him unconscious. He was nervous, excited (actually, because he was staring at Dan, he was  _ very _ excited), nauseous, ready, not ready, weirdly horny, probably in hell but also in heaven.

Dan gazed at Arin with concern. “You okay? You’re so quiet.” He took a seat beside Arin and grasped his sweaty hand. “If you’re scared, don’t be. You’re amazing.”

Arin managed to smile a little. “Thanks, Danny.”

“We’re on in five!” Ross called as he burst into the dressing room.

Dan patted Arin’s hand and gave him a reassuring smile before getting up and scrambling to finish the green tea with honey that he’d brewed earlier. Arin ran his eyes up and down Dan’s body without meaning to. But he couldn’t help it; Dan really was beautiful, and his lanky form was accentuated by his skin-tight clothing. Constricting ripped jeans that gripped his hips in a way that was almost sinful, a tattered blue Def Leppard tank that showed off a tantalizing amount of skin, grotty black sneakers, and a matching leather jacket that would probably be removed halfway through the show so Dan wouldn’t pass out from the heat. His hair was delightfully mussed - by the end of the show, it would be horribly messy.

Dan's outfit contrasted sharply with Arin's; Arin's outfit was all baggy looseness and comfort, so he could dance without feeling like his pants were going to rip at the seams every time he lifted a leg.

Dan returned to Arin for the last minute before he had to be on stage and took his hands.

“Arin,” Dan started, his voice raspy and eyes humid with emotion. “I want you to know something before we start the show.”

“Yeah?”  _ Say you’re in love with me, say you’re in love with me _ …

“DAN!! WE NEED TO BE IN THE WINGS LITERALLY RIGHT NOW!” Ross whisper-screamed from the doorway.

“Sorry,” Dan whispered. Hastily, he pressed his lips to Arin’s forehead and darted for the door to the stage.

Numbed, Arin ran his fingers over the spot Dan had kissed. It was tingling, and the bubbly feeling was making its way down to his chest, where his heart was hammering at a nearly superhuman rate.

“Chill,” Arin whispered to himself. But the feeling of Dan’s lips wouldn’t stop lingering.

Arin checked the setlist hanging on the wall.

 

**JAMMIN’ GIN SHOW SETLIST - BABIES OF THE ‘80S**

Take On Me - a-ha!

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Your Love - The Outfield

Africa - Toto

She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby

Cherry Pie - Warrant

Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran

The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson

Sussudio - Phil Collins

You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead or Alive

Careless Whisper - George Michael

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

**Encore:** The Power Of Love - Huey Lewis

 

Clumsy handwriting, likely Oney’s, proclaimed ‘Arin, go onstage for TWYMMF and dance each song until CW (Don’t dance CW)’. Oh, wait. It had to be Dan’s writing, because the chicken-scratch note was signed with a heart.

Arin listened closely to what was happening on stage through a speaker installed in the ceiling that gave anyone in the dressing room the ability to hear what was going on on the stage. Dan’s glorious voice had just said “How’s everyone doin’ tonight!?”

Arin, still listening intently to the speaker, wandered to the minifridge under one of the vanity tables (yes, vanity tables, with various tubes and bottles of stage makeup scattered over the gleaming surfaces) and grabbed a can of Coke. He cracked it open, returned to his seat on the chaise lounge, and kicked up his feet, ready for some hardcore listening-to-Dan-sing.

* * *

 

“I’d like to call up a new friend of mine for the next few songs. His name is Arin Hanson, and he’s gonna do a little dancing for you guys - not in  _ that _ way, you creep in the front! He’s that guy I made fun of at the D Club show, if any of you were there… yeah, turns out he’s cool, and he can dance like a machine. So, everyone, please welcome Arin!”

The crowd cheered and clapped, and Arin, trying not to throw up, jogged out onstage with his best smile beaming out, waving a hand to the audience. Dan’s arms were open, so Arin ran into them and hugged Dan. Dan ruffled his hair affectionately, causing one girl in the audience to yell, “I ship it!” Laughter skipped among the other audience members at this. 

_ Holy shit, that’s a big crowd _ . Arin forced himself to breathe. Dan’s embrace had given him a little confidence, and he used it to appear totally cool with this. Like he danced on stage at a rock show every damn day.

“So, Arin,” Dan said into the mic, his arm still about Arin’s shoulders, “which of my many features is the sexiest?”

“All of them,” Arin said into the mic immediately, making Dan blush and the audience laugh.

“Let’s play some Michael Jackson!” Dan changed the subject, letting go of Arin and nodding a Ross. Arin moved to his designated position under a spotlight, and Ross played the count off. Time to go.

The music was quick to take over. Arin’s body moved in a free but still slick way - his movements were sharp, like Michael Jackson's, but they felt natural. Right. Everything Arin had learned in Maxine’s lessons slipped away. He realized that he hadn’t been able to dance this freely since starting dance lessons, and it felt better to dance the way he wanted to, rather than the way someone else wanted him to. This was good. Reining in wasn’t good; freedom and release were good.

“‘The way you make me feel, you really turn me on…’” Arin wasn’t the only one getting into it; Dan was swiveling and rocking his hips, enjoying the sexual nature of the song and allowing it to control his body. He looked so sexy like that, moving as the music’s puppet, occasionally throwing his head back so that all of his hair was thrown out behind him like a flag. Gorgeous. Arin almost stopped dancing to watch him, but immediately got himself back on track, letting the music steal him away as well.

As the last chorus approached, Arin, deciding to be daring, strutted (perfectly on beat) over to Dan and gripped his hips right when he sang “‘The way you make me feel!’” Dan, playing along, kept up his sensual movements, dancing with Arin in a way that fit the song and made the audience hoot and holler. 

When the song ended (because it faded out, the Babies of the ‘80s had made up their own ending), the audience applauded with a great, benevolent thunder. They started chanting Arin’s name.

_ They like me? _ Arin thought to himself in awe.

Dan squeezed Arin’s hand and picked up the mic again. “That was… interesting,” Dan commented into the mic, smiling.

“You liked it,” Arin insisted, loud enough for the entire audience to hear, and laughter rumbled through the club.

“Next song!” Dan flipped his hair in Ross’s direction.

‘Sussudio’ went in much the same fashion. Arin danced freely, but this time he didn’t dance with Dan, and once again, they received a surplus of applause. 

“Alright, here comes the last song with Arin. I just want to say thanks again, thanks so much, Ar.” Dan hugged Arin again, and the audience clapped and ‘aww’ed.

‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’ began, and Dan pulled his mic close to his lips.This was one of his favorite songs to sing, and the music carried him away immediately.

The music flowed through Arin as well. He interpreted Dan’s velvety voice and the quick synth into a dance that felt sexy, felt brave, but felt right. Comfortable. A hip-swivelling, arm-pumping, spinning-around dance.

“‘You spin me right round, baby, right round…’” Dan, on the last chorus, made his way over to Arin, grabbed his hand, and started spinning him like they were professional ballroom dancers. The audience whooped. Arin got dizzy.

The song came to an end, and when Dan said “Alright, Arin’s leaving now. Love you, man. Thanks so much for doing this,” Arin found himself thinking,  _ was that really it? _

“No problem, man.” Arin patted Dan’s shoulder, ruffled the shit out of his hair, and disappeared backstage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! Btw I was wondering if anyone would be interesting in forming an online book club. We can discuss whatever books everyone feels like reading. OR we could make it a fanfic club, where we read and discuss fanfics. Idk, let me know if you'd be interested in either of those. Ok I gotta go. I love you all, you mean the world to me! Farewell!


	6. Younger Than Springtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The afterparty gets craaaazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I apologize for my absence, but I've been super stressed and busy with school and such. I dropped the ridiculous online U.S. Government class I was taking, which is a blessing - I have so much more time now and there's more of an ease on my spirit. But I am finding that a lot of the pieces I'm writing at secondary school.. well, I don't care about them. I feel more fulfilled by writing these fanfics than I do writing pieces that just get edited until they aren't my style but the contrived idea of 'perfect literature'. It's not what I wanted it to be, but I'll stay there because I am learning some valuable things among some garbage. Anyway, I'll stop burdening you. I love you all so much, you're one of the biggest reasons why I still love writing. Thank you, thank you, thank you <3 Enjoy this chapter, I hope it's not too boring! And it isn't accurate either, but whatever. Enjoy!

“Drink! Drink! Drink!”

The chant rumbled across the makeshift bar, trying to make Arin take a shot. It was after the concert and Babies Of The ‘80s (with Arin in tow) had gone to Oney’s apartment to celebrate. Oney had the most spacious, most furnished apartment of all the guys (it had a kitchen island  _ and _ a dinner table!) so they were holding their private afterparty there. Everyone was now sitting or standing at the kitchen island, with Oney serving drinks to those who wanted them. Everyone aside from Arin wanted alcohol of varying forms. Arin chose water.

“C’mon, baby. One shot isn’t gonna kill you,” Dan murmured, his arm sliding around Arin’s waist. Dan had had a drink himself, and it was making him act a little weird.

Arin shook his head. “I don’t want to. I feel like I’ll punch someone or something and never be invited to hang out with you guys ever again. I like being in control of my actions.”

Ross laughed. “Pussy!” he yelled at Arin.

“Ha ha.” Arin just rolled his eyes and passed the shot to Brian, who downed it quicker than Quicksilver.

“S’alright.” Dan ran a hand up and down Arin’s back. “You’re still good enough.”

Arin gave Dan a slightly sheepish smile. “Thanks.” He took a swig of water.

Oney ambled over to the iPod speaker blaring out ‘90s jams and turned it up a little. “Let’s kick this party up a notch!” He leaped onto the coffee table and started dancing - well, flailing - violently to the music.

“Oney, go home. You’re drunk.” Barry sipped his own alcohol. 

“I guess I’m now the designated driver,” Arin grumbled. The drunk band members around him were starting to make him nervous.

“Everything okay?” For a second, Dan seemed sober, then his hand slipped around clumsily on Arin’s back, giving him away.

“Yeah.” Arin’s body stiffened, and Dan drew back, afraid that he’d upset Arin. “Just a little on edge.”

“Do you want to step out into the hallway for a bit?” Dan almost had to shout over the nearly unbearable volume of the speaker. He cast a vicious glance at his fellow band members, all of whom were stumbling like badly trained dancing bears and laughing sluggishly. 

“Yeah.” Arin power-walked towards the door. He was glad that Dan was far less drunk than the other band members - having someone semi-aware in the hallway was better than someone out of their mind (or no one at all).

When the door shut behind the two men, the tightness in Arin’s chest released, and he felt like he’d just escaped a riot. 

“So, what’s up? Feeling not okay?” Dan laced his fingers through Arin’s. “Since the end of the show, you seemed kind of... off, for lack of a better word.”

“I don’t know.” Arin savored the feeling of Dan’s hand in his - warm, soft, comforting. “I just feel like… eh. It’ll sound stupid.”

“Arin, I promise I won’t make fun of you, even if you sound stupid.” Dan chuckled, squeezing Arin’s hand.

“I feel like I didn’t do well enough. Like, I just… the other band members are too cool for me, I’m not good enough to hang out with them, and I didn’t dance good enough to be welcome. I don’t know. And with the alcohol thing… I just don’t want to drink, and it made me feel less cool or whatever.”

“Arin. Arin, look at me.” Dan set his hand on Arin’s cheek, tilting his face up so Arin would look into his eyes. Dan’s dark eyes were surprisingly clear - like the single beer he’d had wasn’t even affecting him. “You’re always cool enough, baby. Don’t let anyone or anything make you feel inferior. You have a place here. The guys like you a lot - I promise. They’re just idiots when they’re drunk.” He smiled. “So stop worrying, cool?”

Arin couldn’t help but smile. “Okay. But only if you tell me what you were going to say before the show started.”

Dan’s face flushed vibrant pink and he pulled his hands into his lap. “Um…” Arin could practically see the gears turning in Dan’s head, trying to come up with a story. He was so transparent. “I was going to confess that I have a secret obsession with Broadway show tunes.”

“Like what?” Arin struggled to hold in a laugh. He could tell that this wasn’t what Dan was going to say before the show, but it definitely wasn’t a lie.

“Everything.  _ RENT _ ,  _ Hamilton _ ,  _ Les Miserables _ ,  _ Little Shop Of Horrors _ ,  _ Ragtime _ ,  _ Fun Home _ ,  _ Kinky Boots _ ,  _ Wonderful Town _ ,  _ Avenue Q _ ,  _ Hello Dolly _ ,  _ How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying _ … the works.”

“Now what are the embarrassing ones?”

“ _ Carrie _ ,  _ Jesus Christ Superstar _ ,  _ Grease _ ,  _ Spring Awakening _ ,  _ The Drowsy Chaperone _ …”

Now Arin had to laugh. “You’re a theater geek!”

“Shut up!” Dan, cracking up, elbowed Arin playfully. “Am not!”

“You said the entire title of  _ How To Succeed _ , therefore you're a theater geek,” Arin jokingly reasoned. “Also what even is  _ Jesus Christ Superstar _ ?”

“I don’t even know what it’s about, I’ve never seen it or even read a synopsis - I mean, there’s Jesus and whatever - but the music is really great, like there’s this one song... what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re so cute. Like  _ so _ cute.” Arin was grinning, watching Dan’s face grow redder and redder every second. Before Dan could say anything in defense, Arin demanded, “Sing me something.”

“Um, okay… I’ve never sung a show tune in front of someone before, only alone in my apartment.” Dan swallowed and started singing, “‘ Younger than springtime, are you, softer than starlight, are you, warmer than winds of June are the gentle lips you gave me. Gayer than laughter, are you, sweeter than music, are you, angel and lover, heaven and earth are you to me…’”

Though Dan was staring off into the distance somewhere, it was obvious he was singing about Arin. His hand was sweating in Arin’s, his face was red as a beet, and his lilting voice was colored with passion. The sound was lovely, tearjerking, melodic. Dan had the voice of a tenor angel, dancing gracefully from note to note, emotion cradling every word. 

When the simple yet beautiful song came to a close, Arin’s eyes were misty. “Thank you. What song was that?”

“‘Younger Than Springtime’ from  _ South Pacific _ . Was I bad?” Dan scrubbed his fingers through his hair.

“No! Honestly, Dan, that was amazing. I bet you’d do well at the community theater!” Arin enthused. And he meant it. Dan was fantastic.

“I couldn’t. An audition would make me have a panic attack, and I’m not much of an ensemble singer…” 

“But you’d be so good! They’re doing  _ Sweeney Todd _ this summer, and auditions are next week! You really should try out. You’d play an amazing Anthony!”

“How do you know so much about a.)  _ Sweeney Todd _ , and b.) the community theater?”

“A story for another day.” Arin shook his head. “I just think you’d be super good.”

“But I can’t.” Dan pulled his knees up to his chest. “I’m too scared. And the band and I are so busy. Maybe sometime. Just not this year. Someday.”

They fell silent for a while, just enjoying each other’s company in the way they always did.

Dan started another song, just to give Arin a morsel of happiness: “‘I feel you, Johanna, I feel you. I was half-convinced I’d waken, satisfied enough to dream you, happily I was mistaken, Johanna. I’ll steal you, Johanna....’”

Arin had to smile. Dan sounded just as beautiful and passionate on this song - ‘Johanna’ from  _ Sweeney Todd _ . “I told you you’d play an amazing Anthony,” Arin said once the song was done, leaning his head on Dan’s shoulder.

“Thanks. But I can’t.” Dan sighed, wrapping his arm around Arin.

Arin opened his mouth to speak, but before he could a nearby door opened, and a woman stepped out. “What’s going on out here?”

“Suzy!” the guys said simultaneously. 

It was indeed Suzy, the black-haired girl Arin had literally bumped into in the grocery store. She had pajamas on and looked confused. “Arin? You know Dan?”

“You know Suzy?” Dan asked Arin, shocked.

“Yeah. I crashed into her when I was grocery shopping the other day.” Arin shrugged.

“I had no idea you knew my neighbor!” Suzy exclaimed, sitting down beside the men.

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” Arin said casually. It was a lie, but still. What Suzy thought was true (hopefully) wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“Aww! That’s why Dan was singing to you. You sounded great, by the way,” she commented, making Dan beam.

“Thanks. Yeah, we were just about to go back inside to the party we abandoned.” Dan laughed at himself and stood, offering Arin and Suzy each a hand. 

“Okay. Try not to make too much noise… Ah, hell, you know I’ll be up until like three binge-watching Game of Thrones.” Suzy laughed and waved goodbye to the men, who waved back.

Back inside, the other guys had settled down. They were cuddling in a massive heap on the couch, watching an episode of  _ The Backyardigans _ and drinking more alcohol.

“Aw, how cute.” Dan collapsed in the deserted loveseat. Arin mirrored him and popped up the footrest.

Arin didn’t know how long it was before he was dozing on Dan’s chest, but from what he heard in the morning, he guessed it was five seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! :) I love you all! If any of you are theater geeks, let me know! What are some of your favorite musicals? My favorite is Sweeney Todd (George Hearn and Angela Lansbury are AMAZING) But I'm curious to know more about you guys, if that's not creepy! Love <3


	7. Toys In The Attic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short but sweet chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My God, I can't apologize enough for how late I am. I'm sorry, tech week was last week so I had no free time, and yeah. Inspiration has been slow-flowing. But I wrote a kinda cute but kinda filler chapter. I hope you all like it, and I'll try harder on the next chapter. Gosh, I'm such a failure. Enjoy (hopefully).

“ARIN! WHAT THE HELL!”

Arin winced, holding his cell phone inches away from his ear so Maxine’s screeching wouldn’t damage his hearing. “I’m sorry?” he defended pathetically.

“You can’t just stop showing up for lessons! I’ve been worried sick!”

“Yeah, uh, I won’t be back. Sorry. Dance lessons just weren’t for me, you know?”

“Yup. Understand.” Maxine’s tone was clipped.

“Really. I’m sorry. I just think improvisation is where I should focus.” Guilt was welling in Arin’s stomach. He really did feel bad for ditching Maxine’s lessons, but he just didn’t feel fulfilled with them anymore. When he was really dancing, he remembered nothing that Maxine had taught him. Realizing they were of no use to him, Arin had been abandoning the dance lessons for the past couple weeks.

“Whatever.” The other line clicked off, and Arin rolled his eyes. He turned off his phone and tossed it onto his mattress, not needing it. Dan had already texted him today, saying he had something really cool to show Arin, but neither of them could bring their phones or it’d be ruined.

Arin checked his watch. Almost time for him to meet Dan in the parking garage.

* * *

“Hey, princess!” Dan hopped out of his car, gave Arin a hug, and opened the passenger door, all while jackrabbit-jumping.

“You seem happy today,” Arin observed, reaching for his seatbelt.

Dan grinned, turning his sunshiney gaze upon Arin. “I’m just excited that we get to hang out more! And we got so much great feedback about you after the show, everyone loves you… and we have another show next week, and I want you to be in it again! Also, I did what you said and signed up to audition for  _ Sweeney Todd _ ! So some of my excitement is nervous excitement, but most of it is happy because I’m with you!”

Arin laughed. “That was quite a speech! Yes, I’ll be in your next show, and wow, I’m glad you’re auditioning!”

“Yay!” Dan started the car and turned on the radio. The Bee Gees blared groovily throughout the car, and Dan and Arin sang along at the top of their lungs with the windows rolled down.

* * *

“This is the place,” Dan announced, swinging the car into a parking spot against the curb and screeching it to a halt.

Arin looked out the window. “This place? I’ve never seen this shopping center before.”

Dan came around and opened the door for Arin, helping him out like a coachman. “It’s been here. No one goes to it though, because all that’s here is the place we’re going and a way-overpriced vegan restaurant. In case you haven’t noticed, this town is full of carnivores and cheap assholes.” Dan took Arin’s hand. “Come with me.”

Opposite the vegan restaurant was a dingy shop with a glass pull-door and two big windows. A magenta-purple light flowed leisurely from within. Above the door, neon letters proudly proclaimed  _ Tim’s Records _ .

Dan pulled open the door for Arin. It was like a portal. The minute Arin stepped inside, he forgot about the digital world outside the store and was immersed in a piece of the seventies, carefully preserved and kept alive all these years. No phones allowed, magenta lava lamp lighting, countless vinyl records of all genres up and down every aisle. Posters of bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and The Who wallpapered every square foot of wall that wasn’t taken up by shelves of records. The sound of Aerosmith’s ‘Toys In The Attic’ floated through the entire store, a soft background music. A disco mirror ball hung from the ceiling, and the afroed owner, presumably Tim, was reading  _ Watership Down _ behind his  _ Star Wars  _ figurine-covered desk. He looked up when they entered and gave them a cheerful wave. “Hey there, Dan! Brought someone new?” He had to be at least fifty. Grinning, he hustled over to greet the boys, masterfully operating on a pair of platform shoes. He had a Rush shirt on.

“Hi.” Arin accepted the man’s handshake and couldn’t help but smile. “Are you Tim?”

“Yeah! And you are?”

“I’m Arin.” Arin gazed around the room again. In the back, there was a tiny lounge space with a record cabinet, two brown sofas and an orange rug. “This place is far out!”

“Like, thanks!” Tim’s smile crinkled his blue eyes kindly. “Can I help you find anything?”

“Nah, we’ll just be browsing, thanks.” Dan smiled at Tim, who saluted them and returned to his desk and his book.

Arin turned to Dan, feeling a weird combination of amazement and love. “Dan, why are we here?”

“You said you’d go to the seventies if you could go back in time, right?” Dan kicked his boot toe against the tile floor. “I thought you’d like this.”

“I  _ love _ this, Dan. Thank you.” Arin squeezed his hand and smiled.

* * *

On the way home, they didn’t wear seatbelts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! You all have no idea how much I love and depend on writing fan fiction - this is feeling like more of a creative outlet than my writing school is. I love you all so so much, I hope I haven't lost you guys with my absence. I'll be better about updating in the future, I promise!


	8. Total Eclipse of the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The important chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! How are all of you? I feel like I never post anything and I'm so sorry, I just have so much work. My overall health is declining everyday, I don't sleep, my 23-year-old Biology teacher is in love with me, and I don't have like any free time. On the bright side, the winter holidays are coming! Which one(s) do you guys celebrate? I celebrate Christmas, just not religiously (I'm agnostic, but I celebrate stuff like Easter and Christmas without going to church or whatever Christians do on those holidays). I'm thinking of writing some fluffy Egobang holiday one-shots next month. Anyway, this chapter... I love the way it came out. Enjoy!

“Look, Arin! It’s Bitchface McGee! Our lightning bug!” Dan reached for the little glowing creature with both hands, trotting after it through the grass.

Arin laughed, following Dan. It was a beautiful evening, a sunset glowing scarlet in the sky and lightning bugs dotting the shadowy grass. The men were in the park again. 

The lightning bug curled up on Dan’s palm almost willingly, making Dan’s whole face light up. He held it out to Arin, beaming. “For you,” he whispered.

Arin chuckled and reached out a hand to accept the gift. “You’re the cutest.” 

The bug, flashing his little light, landed not on Arin’s hand but the tip of his nose.

Dan laughed hysterically, actually collapsing in the grass, at the melodramatic confused face Arin made.

Arin started laughing too, scaring away the little bug. Bitchface drifted over to Dan and settled in his wild mane, a tiny lighthouse among the ocean of curls. Arin, lying in the grass beside the still-giggling Dan, couldn’t help but admire the softness of Dan’s features in the muffled glow.

Dan turned his head to look Arin in the eye, barely disturbing Bitchface. “Arin?”

“Yeah?”  _ Oh shit. Is he gonna say it? He better say it. _

“Did you have fun today? Because I had fun today.” 

_ Dammit. I’ll just have to say it. _

“I love you,” Arin blurted.

Dan blinked twice. “You love me?” He smirked. “You’re not kidding?”

“Why would I be kidding? I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you since we met.” Had Arin made a mistake? Was Dan really not into him?

Arin opened his mouth to take it back, to apologize. Before he could say anything, though, Dan cut him off with a kiss.

And then Arin woke up. He checked the clock. 2:30 AM.

He had to talk to Dan.

* * *

 

Arin hurried through the dark suburban streets, his sneakers pounding the concrete sidewalks. Dan’s building wasn’t too far away, he’d be able to get there soon. He wished he’d remembered to drive - it would’ve been faster. But oh well. The night air was pleasantly cool, and there didn’t seem to be anybody out. It was quite peaceful.

The D Club, that scummy club where Arin had first seen Dan, seemed to be the only lively place. Music pounded from within, some kind of heavy thudding. Probably death metal. Somehow, it was fitting.

Arin slowed to a power walk, gasping for breath. He clutched a stitch in his side and bobbed his head along with the death metal so as not to stick out too much among the spike-clad community college goths who happened to be flocking towards the D Club. He didn’t need to get into any trouble tonight.

Once clear, Arin continued power-walking towards Dan’s building. It was in sight by now, and if Arin had the stamina to run right now, he would.

“‘And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever…’” Arin sang breathlessly to himself. “‘And if you only hold me tight, we’ll be holding on forever…’”

He finally made it to the building and pulled open the glass door, jogging up to the half-asleep receptionist. “Hi, is Dan Avidan in?”

The pimply receptionist nodded mutely. “You can go to his room, I know you’re his boyfriend.”

Arin didn’t even think to correct him; he just said a quick “Thank you,” and ran for the stairs.

* * *

 

_ Knock. Knock. Knockknockknock. _

“C’mon, Dan, please be awake,” Arin pleaded, even though Dan probably couldn’t hear.

There was a muffled scrabbling behind the door, then it opened, and Dan was there. He was clad only in a pair of black sweatpants, his hair a catastrophic mess, bleary-eyed but looking sleepily adorable.

“Arin! What’re you doing here? C’mon in.” Dan held open the door for Arin, seeming to perk up immediately.

“I had to see you. I have something really important to tell you.” Arin was out of breath.

“Sit down, honey.” Dan led him to the tiny living space and sat him down on the faux-leather couch. “Do you want any coffee or tea?”

“No thanks. Maybe just some water? If you wouldn’t mind?” 

“Absolutely.” Dan started towards the kitchenette, but paused, looking down at himself. “I should probably put a shirt on.”

“No, you look great.” He did. Dan was slender, a few of his ribs showing, and his perfect pale skin practically glowed in the dim light of his apartment. Beautiful.

Dan blushed, saying nothing, and went into the kitchenette. He came back a few seconds later with a glass of water that he handed to Arin, then sat beside him on the couch.

“So what’s up?” Dan asked, setting a hand on Arin’s thigh.

Arin took a sip of water. “Um… gimme a second.” Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe he should just make a joke, and he’d go home and let Dan sleep. There was no way he could tell him, no way he could push out the words ‘I love you.’ As true as they were, they were too hard to say. Not when it could destroy everything. Not when Dan was looking so heartbreakingly flawless, his eyes concerned. Not when he could barely find the breath to say a thing.

They sat there like that for a while, Dan with his hand on Arin’s thigh, Arin sipping his water and trying to muster up enough courage to say it. The important thing. At one point, Dan scooted closer to Arin so that their hips were touching, and rested his head on Arin’s shoulder, and it made Arin’s stomach get all mixed up in an amazing way, and there was no way he couldn’t say it…

And Dan, Dan was boiling. He had been thinking of confessing to Arin for days and days now, but had never been able to find a moment. This moment felt like it could be the right one. Arin, running to his apartment in the middle of the night, here, on Dan’s couch, and now his hand was on the back of Dan’s neck, and there was no way he couldn’t say it...

“I love you,” they said at the same time.

Both men burst into laughter.

“I mean, I came here to say that… Dan Avidan, I am deeply in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my boyfriend?”

And Dan laughed and said, “Absolutely, Arin Hanson. I’m so in love with you and I have been ever since we met. I can’t believe I haven’t told you yet. Thank you for saying it first.”

Arin chuckled some more. “No problem, baby.” He set down his water glass.

They were silent for a few more seconds, then Dan half-shouted, “Kiss me!”

Arin laughed and pulled him in, and then their lips met and it was heaven.

Dan’s lips were soft and rough at the same time. His mouth tasted sweet and smoky, and he kissed with a passion. Arin’s mind went blank - the only thing he could register was Dan. Dan was here, and they were in love, and this kiss felt really good. Arin remembered he had hands and laid one of them on Dan’s bare chest, daring to drag the hand over it, feeling every nook and cranny of Dan’s beautiful body. His other hand tangled in Dan’s wild hair, finally able to feel its fluffiness in full. Dan’s hands framed Arin’s face, resting on either cheek. Before Arin knew it, there were two tongues in his mouth, and only one of them was his. The kiss held a million words within it - a million ‘I love you’s, ‘you’re amazing’s, and ‘never stop kissing me’s. Their stomachs swirled, and it felt right, like it was  _ supposed _ to happen, but also special in the fireworks-butterflies-bubbles way that all important kisses do. Their lips fell together with a comfortable grace for what must have been hours. 

When, finally, they parted, they rested their foreheads together, giggling. 

“You’re amazing,” Dan whispered, his fingers entwined in Arin’s hair.

Arin’s hands were nestled into the dimples above Dan’s hips. “I love you,” he whispered. It felt so good to be able to say that. 

Dan traced small circles on the back of Arin’s head with his pointer finger. “Do you want to stay here tonight? We don’t have to have sex or anything, I just… ‘I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever…’”

Arin laughed. “I was singing that on my way over!” 

“No way!” Dan grinned, leaning back from Arin’s face and dropping one hand. “I love that song. Secretly.”

“I love it too.” Arin took the hand that Dan dropped in one of his own. “Yeah, I’ll stay tonight. I really don’t feel like walking back to my apartment.”

Dan smiled. “I don’t feel like watching you walk back to your apartment.” He stood, pulling Arin gently up with him. “Do you want anything before we sleep? Like, tea or something?”

Arin pretended to ponder. “Another kiss, maybe?” He tilted his head coyly.

Dan laughed. “Absolutely.” 

The second kiss had the same passion as the first, the same perfection, except now their tongues met almost immediately. Dan draped one leg over Arin’s hip, and Arin dug his fingers into the thigh. Dan had nice thighs. 

Dan grazed his teeth over Arin’s bottom lip and played with the hem of his shirt, trying to inch it up Arin’s hips. In between kisses, Dan whispered, “I feel left out, being the only shirtless one.”

When Arin’s shirt was on the floor, Dan stopped to admire his body. Arin covered his own burning face. “Please don’t.”

“Baby, you’re beautiful.” Dan lowered his head to kiss Arin’s stomach. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Arin nodded, relaxing. The way Dan said it, he almost believed him.

* * *

 

It was around 4 AM when Dan and Arin finally went to sleep in Dan’s bed. They'd spent the whole time before now kissing and talking and drinking chamomile tea. Dan was using Arin’s chest as a pillow, and Arin was playing with Dan’s hair.

“Arin?” Dan whispered, taking Arin’s free hand in his own. 

“Yes, sweetie?” 

“I love you so, so much.” Dan kissed Arin’s fingers.

“Honestly, I’ve never doubted that.” Arin smiled to himself. “Sweet dreams.”

In minutes, Dan was snoring, still holding Arin’s hand against his lips. Arin allowed himself to drift off seconds later, a soft smile lingering on his lips. Dan was his boyfriend. His  _ boyfriend _ ! And nothing had ever made him happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! :) Have any of you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Scorbus, guys. We need to talk Scorbus. I super ship them and I'm upset that they didn't end up together at the end, but it was still an ok book. What did you think of it (if you've read it)? Lemme know! Ok, I love you all, thank you so so SO much for sticking around despite how horrible I am at updating. Have a good night!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, thanks, thanks! :) Stay tuned for new chapters, I can't wait for things to REALLY get interesting!


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